Learning and Teaching Awards | Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics

Learning and Teaching Awards

Call for Nominations

Lang currently has two teaching and learning awards: The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence for a full-time faculty member (tenured/tenure track/contract), and The Casey Cosgrove Teaching Award of Excellence, for a sessional instructor. The aim of these awards is to recognize Lang instructors for their excellence in teaching and learning.

Members of the university community are invited to nominate individuals or teams for these awards based on excellence in one or more of the following areas:

  • Classroom instruction
  • Graduate teaching and supervision
  • Course design and curriculum development
  • Producing learning/educational materials
  • Development of innovative teaching methods
  • Scholarship in Teaching and Learning

Nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Contribution to supporting the School’s Active Learning pillar - how does this instructor help to support active learning for Lang students? For reference, Lang’s Active Learning value statement is: “We value pedagogies that foster student engagement. We are committed to providing a supportive and challenging learning environment, in which students apply theory to real world problems, work collaboratively with others, and have the opportunity to develop essential and transferable skills.”
  • Having the support from multiple stakeholders (e.g. students, peers, alumni, administrators, etc.)
  • Significance of the contribution to student learning and teaching
  • Demonstrated benefits to the quality of the learning experience
  • Overall commitment and passion for improving the student learning experience

 

Nomination packages must include:

  • Completed nomination form (provided)
  • Nominee’s teaching philosophy statement
  • Letter from nominator(s) summarizing why they recommend the nominee for the award, and what area(s) of excellence in teaching and learning they should be recognized for. The letter should also emphasize the contributions being made to active learning.
  • No more than 4 letters of support from undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, administrators, and off-campus collaborators, as appropriate.
     

Download nomination form

 

Available Awards

The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence (tenured/tenure track /contract faculty)

Awarded to a Lang faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching and learning based on the above criteria. 

 

The Casey Cosgrove Teaching Award of Excellence (sessional faculty)

This award is dedicated to Vincent Casey Cosgrove, a sessional instructor who exemplified a passion for helping students learn. In his honour, this award is presented to a sessional instructor at Lang who demonstrates excellence in teaching and learning based on the above criteria and upholds Casey’s passion for helping students grow. 

 

In total, 2 awards are available this year (1 Faculty, 1 Sessional). Nominations are due annually to the Office of the Associate Dean, Academic and should be submitted to langcurriculum@uoguelph.ca. Packages will be reviewed by the Lang Teaching and Learning Advisory Board. Recipients will receive $1,500 (subject to deduction of all pertinent taxes), and a certificate acknowledging the award. 

 

Previous Award Recipients

Dr. Katie Lebel, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

Katie Lebel
“Dr. Lebel creates a unique environment that I have not experienced in any other post-secondary course. She establishes a team-based environment where all students are collaborative and have the opportunity to lead and be led by others. Students are consistently engaged in any topic discussed by Dr. Lebel, as she always opens the floor to us and develops an environment that fosters participation all semester long. By having much of course content group based, she challenges us to work together toward a goal or final product, just as we would within the industries we wish to pursue after graduation. We learned the importance of community, communication, and accountability, which pushes us to be our best,” wrote a student in Katie's class.

Nicole McCallum, recipient of The Casey Cosgrove Teaching Award of Excellence

Nicole McCallum

 

“The largest impact Nicole made was on a personal level with those she taught and mentored. Opening her door for all of first year students’ various troubles and taking the time to appreciate and assist students who needed it. Simultaneously, Nicole masterfully mentored TAs to grow as educators and professionals. Being mentored by Nicole came with a sense of trust that most educators or academics do not offer to mentees. While you immediately felt trust in Nicole’s abilities to tackle problems, she easily made you feel trusted and capable. A sense of belief in your abilities and appreciation for your contributions made every TA confident enough to succeed through the level of autonomy she offered,” wrote one of Nicole's students.

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Rob McLean, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

Rob McLean
"Above all else, what makes Professor McLean such a significant figure in many of our academic careers is that he fiercely believes in the potential, skill, and knowledge of each of his students. He teaches at the intersection of challenging and supportive, always willing to give his time and knowledge to help students achieve their goals," wrote a student in Rob's class.

Scott McRoberts, recipient of The Casey Cosgrove Teaching Award of Excellence

Scott McRoberts

 

"He didn’t just teach to teach, he taught because he loves teaching and using his platform to make a positive impact on the students’ lives," wrote one of Scott's students.

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Dr. Francis Tapon, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

“Professor Tapon’s teaching style has resulted in a superior learning experience that exceeds what a student would expect to receive while in class,” wrote a student in Dr. Tapon’s class. 

Dr. Evelina Rog, recipient of The Casey Cosgrove Teaching Award of Excellence

 

“Dr. Rog created a supportive and challenging learning environment for us by exposing us to unique experiences and holding us to high standards throughout the course. She was incredibly giving of herself and supported us every inch of the way. Her program was transformative and will have a lasting effect on members of the cohort,” stated a Lang Executive Programs student.

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Nikola Gradojevic, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

Nikola devotes a lot of time in guiding his students when facing decisions about professional development or graduate studies. For example, he has actively encouraged and advised many of our best and brightest to pursue a graduate education. He is also directing the GSIC club, where he is heavily involved in all practical aspects of managing the students’ investment portfolio. The creation of the student-managed GSIC portfolio using real funds sponsored by Fidelity has been a transformative initiative at Lang in terms of merging real-word experience with active student learning coupled with invaluable career opportunities at Fidelity for our best and brightest.

Daniela Senkl, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

 

Daniela has been a key player in re-designing the Introduction to Financial Accounting course. The re-design involves the development of 18 seminars, intended to help students work through the course material in an active and experiential way. She is also an active participant in her department’s weekly seminars and contributed meaningfully to the organization of their annual accounting symposium.

Sonia Dhaliwal, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

 

Sonia is a dedicated faculty member with a commitment to providing students with a meaningful learning experience using active learning. She is constantly looking for ways to improve her teaching skills and her teaching/active learning materials. When these efforts result in risky new ideas, Sonia jumps right in. A recent example that comes to mind is her incorporation of the Inquire program into her advanced tax course. This activity took the mock client service exercise up to a new level of authenticity: Through Inquire, she matched her class with a real client, and together with Sonia, the class analyzed the tax rules that applied to that client’s situation and provided their analysis to the company at the end of the term.

David Green, recipient of The Casey Cosgrove Teaching Award of Excellence

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Ruben Burga, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

 

 

Ilias Tsiakas, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

 

 

Brynn Winegard, recipient of The Casey Cosgrove Teaching Award of Excellence

 

 

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Kathleen Rodenburg, recipient of The Paul MacPherson Teaching Award of Excellence

 

 

Melissa Pulvermacher, recipient of The Casey Cosgrove Teaching Award of Excellence